I also really liked Presence. The marketing really failed this one. It’s not really a horror movie. If you go in expecting a haunted house film, I can see why you’d be disappointed. I thought the technique of filming entirely from the ghost’s POV with a handheld cam was really cool.
Actually, let me clarify. The first time I saw the film (with a Q&A with the writer, director & cast) I felt similar to Wolfpup. But that was because I thought it would be something it wasn’t. I decided to see it a second time and then I really enjoyed it on its own terms.
The Substance, with Demi Moore and Margaret Qually. I had problems with this, as with all premise movies whose premises don’t make much sense. Sci-fi nonsense about swapping bodies one week at a time (with much full frontal nudity for those into that sort of thing) but, as per Gremlins, they don’t follow instructions and so are turned into repulsive homunculi at the end.
I said I was going to opine on Black Bag (2025) after I saw it, and now I have, and I completely agree! Stylish and sophisticated, it`s a gripping thriller with an intricate plot full of twists and turns.
For those planning to watch, if you’re anything like me I suggest turning on the subtitles right from the start. You don’t want to miss a word of dialog, and plus it helps with some of the initialisms they throw in.
Glad you enjoyed it too, but I would say that honestly the plot is not that intricate. That’s a good thing! It’s interesting and involved enough to keep you watching, but at the end you’re not looking back wondering how to explain things or how cause A related to effect F, it’s all perfectly straightforward. An absolutely solid middlebrow movie of the kind that should be made more often.
Dark Waters (2009). A really excellent film, all the more absorbing because it’s based on a true story. Mark Ruffalo plays Rob Bilott, a lawyer in a law firm that specializes in defending large corporations (Anne Hathaway plays his wife). Bilott is approached by a West Virginia farmer who believes his land and dairy cattle are being poisoned by an adjacent landfill operated by the Dupont chemical company.
I won’t say more so as not to spoiler the movie, but suffice to say that after Bilott takes the case just to help out the old farmer, things begin to escalate to a massive scale. Highly recommended.
Just as a side note, the legal wrangling was over PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid, also referred to by Dupont as C8) which was used in the manufacture of Teflon until 2010. It’s one of the “forever chemicals” that don’t break down and that the body can’t remove. A note at the end of the movie mentions that virtually all living creatures on earth, including 99% of humans, have some amount of PFOA in their bodies.
Murderville is a comedy police procedural on Netflix. Every episode they ‘train’ a new rookie to solve that distinct murder case and the rookie is played by a celebrity guest with no script who has to improvise. Sometimes it’s strange, sometimes it’s hilarious.
One thing stands out, Marshawn Lynch is a secret comedic genius. He was wasted as a Running Back.
I want to see this film sometime. Rob Bilott graduated from New College (of Florida), where I graduated from. He did his law degree at Ohio State, where I have a master’s degree from.
Minor nitpick: I think the film was made in 2019, not 2009? I remember seeing it in early 2020 just as covid was about to hit.
Agree with you on the film, I found it a very interesting watch, one of those films that makes you angry at the brazen arrogance of large corporations.
I very highly recommend it, especially if you have any connection at all to Billot. Even accounting for the likelihood that films like this take a few liberties with the facts, the man is unquestionably a real hero, and went through tremendous stress and personal sacrifice to accomplish what he did. I’m surprised that DuPont didn’t try to sue the filmmakers. Or maybe they did.
You’re right, I screwed up. I looked up the release date and then promptly forgot due to senility!
Lynch did great on that show. He’s in the recent action comedy Love Hurts, with Ke Huy Quan, as a fictionalized version of himself. I haven’t seen it yet.
My favorite moment of Murderville is when Patrick Bateman reacts to some stupid thing Will Arnett does with, “Oh… You’re a clown.” with the sudden realization that Arnett’s detective character is NOT there to help, but to distract.
I mean, it was OK. But it suffers from everything clearly being shot in a studio and all the outside scenes are clearly using digital paintings/sets and none of it looks real. Also shot way to darkly, which is a odd choice since they had total control over lighting indoors.
The movie? A jumbled mess. I liked it more than most people would as this was a movie I went in hoping for it to be good. I kind of willed myself to give it 6 out of 10, but being more objective…It think most people would give it thumbs down. My thumb is sideways.
It’s a dark fantasy film and if you like that genre, you might enjoy it to a certain extent.
Paul W Andersen and Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista.
Watched this last night and I agree with your comments entirely. The long distance part was great, there was just enough character background (even if they were both trope-y) to have you rooting for the two of them. And then he drops into the gorge and the whole thing turned into a big steaming pile of cliches. Too bad. It started off promising and just went to shit.
My least favorite part, of several: she very stupidly gets snared around the ankle in an obvious trap that they explicitly acknowledge is a trap and that someone of her skills should not have fallen for, and gets dragged by a horse for a good long while. While getting dragged, she is literally IMPALED on a branch before suffering what must have been a severe concussion. Then she is hung up by her hands for a while (a. for no good reason and b. without appearing to suffer any pain from that) and awoken when the bad guy TWISTS the branch that’s still sticking out of her abdomen. After a fight scene to escape, Levi asks her if she’s OK and she says (something like) “I’m good” or “I’m fine.” And then proceeds through several more action sequences with no treatment and no ill effects. REALLY? You couldn’t even have her bleed or limp a little, people?? I mean, I understand she’s a hero, but come on, filmmakers. Ludicrous.
We also tried to watch An Invitation to Murder, on Amazon Prime - a kind of homage to classic Agatha Christie, and only lasted 10 minutes. The acting (and writing and directing) was so atrocious it was embarrassing. Just awful - had to stop. Hard pass.